Sparking device for explosive-engines.



W. S. LIMING.

SPARKING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1907. 1 3 455 Patented June 3, 1913. V 2SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0 ,7 1/7 1 0 17 J I L L :.T@ if a 2 1 W. s. LIMING. SPARKING DEVICE FOREXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1907.

Patented June 3, 1913.

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WILLIAM S. LIMING, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPARRING DEVICE FJR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

T 0 all 'wlzom 1'! may concern Be'it known that I, IVILLIAM S. LIMING, acitizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, Pennsylvania, haveinvented cer tain Improvements in Sparking Devices forExplosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an engineof the explosive orinternal combustion type with means whereby it can be started,withoutthe necessity of first turning the crank shaftby hand or otherpower independently applied thereto. This object Iattain in the mannerhereinafter set forth,

referciee being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure-1 4;a longitudinal section of sufficjent of an engine of ,the explosive typeto illustrate the application of my invention thereto, those featureswhich constitute the subject of my-invention being illustrated in adiagrammatic way; Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are transverse sections throughthe respective cylinders of the engine; Fig. 6 is a view of the ordinarycircuit closer used in connection with the engine, and Fig. '7 is asimilar view of a special or supplementary circuit closer which Iemploy.

In the drawing, 1. 2. 8 and at represent, respectively, the cylinders ofan explosive engine of the four-cycle'type, each cylinder having apiston 5 with a rod 6 connected to a crank on the shaft 7, these cranksbeing in two pairs and the cranks of each pair coinciding, but being setat an angle of 180 in respect to those of the other pair.

The pistons of the engines 1 and 2 are connected to oppositely setcranks, as are likeessential to my invention.

wise the pistons of the engines 3 and 4, although this particulardisposition of engines, cylinders, pistons, and cranks is not In fact,the type of engine selected for illustration has been so selectedsimply-for convenience, for my invention is not limited in thisapplication to engines of the four-cylinder four-cycle type but isapplicable as well to engines havmg a lesser or greater number ofcylinders,

and to engines in which the cycle of operations is different from thatdescribed.

In an ordinary engine of the type illustratedthe circuit closer 9 forcontrolling Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 20, 1907.

Patented June a, 1913. Serial No. 358,356.

the formation of the ignitin sparks in the cylinders is carried by ashaft 10, geared to the crank shaft 7, so as to rotate at lesser speed,such circuit closer having four circuit terminals 1, 2, 3 and 46connected, respectively, to the sparking devices of the cylinders 1, 2,3 and 4, the circuit being completed through these terminalsin'succession by contact therewith of a rotating arm 11 carried by theshaft 10. (See Fig. 6.) With this arrangement it is impossible to startthe engine from a position of rest without first turning or partiallyturning the crank shaft by hand or other independ entpower, for thecircuit closer is so adjusted as to produce a spark only in thatcylinder in which the compression stroke is made and only at the time offull completion ofsaid stroke, or immediately preceding or following thesame. The tendency of the engine, however, is never to stop with thepistons at the ends of the stroke but always with the pistons at orabout rnidstroke, for when the engine is running by momentum after thepower has been cut off there will becertain of the cylinders in whichboth the inlet and exhaust valves will be closed, and as a consequenceof this there will be, in such cylinders, either a partial vacuum abovethe piston and a consequent tendency to raise the piston in thecylinder, or there will be a compression of the fluid above the pistonand a consequent tendency to force the latter downwardly in thecylinder. There can, therefore, be no production of an igniting spark inthe cylinder in which the compression has taken place and which wouldbe, in the normal operation of the engine. the one in which theexplosion would be effected, for, with the ordinary circuit closer aspark can not be formed in said cylinder with the piston in a positionat or approaching mid-stroke. For this reason I employ a special circuitcloser 12, located on the crank shaft of the eng ne and constructed asshown in Fig. 7, with two circuit terminals operating in conjunctionwith a rotating arm 13 of the crank shaft.

In connection with the two circuit closers I employ switching mechanismhaving two sets of terminals, those of one set being numbered 1, 2", 3and P, and those of the other set being numbered 1", 2, 3 and 41, thetermi'nals 1 2 3 and 4 being connected respectively to the terminals 1,2, 3 and 4: of the regular circuit closer, and the terminals 1 and 3being connected to one of the terminals of the special circuit closerand the terminals 2 and 4 being connected to the other terminal of thesame. -In connection with these two sets of terminals operates a switchhaving terminals 1 2, 3 and 4 connected respectively to poles of theprimary coils of the vibrators 1 2 3 and 4 one pole of the secondarycoil of each vibrator being connected to its respective spark plug onthe cylinder of the engine. The other pole of each of the primary coilsof the vibrators is connected directly to one pole of the battery, theother pole of said battery being grounded through the frame of theengine and hence making connection with the vibrators through thecircuit closers and switch, one pole of each of the secondar coils ofthe vibrators being grounded throug 1 the frame of the engine, thevarious grounds being represented at G.

The terminals of the special circuit closer 12 has much longer segmentsthan those of the regular circuit closer, hence the arm 13 of saidspecial circuit closer is adapted to maintaining a closed circuitthroughout the greater portion of a stroke, and even though the pistonoccupies a mid position in the cylinder a spark can be produced thereinin order to ignite the explosive mixture between the piston and the headof the cylin- The terminals of the special circuit closer are sodisposed in respect to the rotating arm that sparks will be producedonly in those cylinders in which the pistons are on the down stroke, andas. either of these two cylinders is liable to be the one in which thecompression has previously taken place each terminal of the specialcircuit closer controls two cylinders.

The switch lever 15 may be located in any position in respect to theengine for con- .venient operation, for instance, in the case of a motorcar engine it will be located conveniently to the front seat and so asto be readily operated either by hand or foot.

When the engine is at rest the terminals of the switch are free fromcontact with either of the circuit closer terminals, but the firstmovement of the switch lever in starting the engine brings its terminalsinto connection with those of the special or supplemental circuit closerin order to start the engine, and, as soon as the engine has thus beenstarted, a further movement of the switch lever will bring its terminalsinto connection with those of the regular circuit closer, a reversal ofthese operations attending a reverse movement of the lever.

It may happen after an engine has been standing idle for a considerabletime that the explosive mixture contained in the cylinder in which thelast compression stroke Was made may have been dissipated by leaka e orotherwise, and for this reason I pre er to provide each of the cylinderswith a priming device in order that a charge of the explosive mixturemay be forced, into or permitted to enter the cylinder preparatory tothe formation of the ignition spark therein by the operation of theswitch lever 15. As shown in the drawing this priming device consists of'a cup 16 mounted above the cylinder and having communication with theupper end of the latter through a valved connection 17 the valves of allof the priming cups being connected for joint and simultaneousoperation, as shown in Fig. 1. By this means a supply of liquidhydro-carbon from which the explosive gas or vapor is produced can besimultaneously projected into each of the cylinders in order to insurethe presence of an explosive vapor in that one of said cylinders inwhich the spark will be produced as soon as the switch 15 makesconnection with the terminals of'the special circuit closer 12, all ofthe. cylinders being charged, since this spark is liable to be producedin either of them.

The liquid may be maintained under pressure in each of the priming cups,or, .in-

stead of the latter, explosive vapor under pressure from a suitablesource of supply' may be conveyed to the cylinders in the mannerdescribed, and the valves which .control the priming devices may, ifdesired, be connected to the switch lever in order that said primingdevices may be operated in consonance with the operations of the switch.

I have described, and prefer to use in carrying out my invention, asupplementary circuit closer on the crank shaft as a means ofcontrollingthe special operation of the sparking devices in order tostart the engine when the pistons are in a position other than thatnecessary for starting the same with the regular circuit closer.

I claim:

1. The combination, in an engine of the explosive type, of sparkingdevices having, as elements, a branched circuit, two circuit closerswith means for rotating the same at different speeds, one of saidcircuit closers being in one branch of the circuit and the other in theother branch of the same, and a switch movable into engagement witheither branch terminal whereby; either branch may constitute part of theoperative circuit.

2. The combination, in a multiple-cylinder engine of the explosive type,of sparking devices with independent circuit closers, one circuit closerhaving an independent terminal for each cylinder and the other W. E.LOONEY.

ROTARY MULTIPLE CYLINDER POUR CYCLE ENGINE.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911. .L063A56u \N km A g N \N N 4 PatentedJune 3, 1913.

